On March 12, following a free screening of Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines, GSLIS Assistant Professor Carol Tilley will serve on a panel to discuss the film, which traces the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today, Wonder Women! explores how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society's anxieties about women's liberation. Other panelists include Rachel Storm, assistant director of the U of I Women’s Resources Center, and Kevin Hamilton, U of I associate professor of art and design.
Tilley's research, which has garnered recent attention in the media, including The New York Times, found that 1950s anti-comics crusading psychiatrist Fredric Wertham "played fast and loose with the data" in ways that undermined the comic book industry. "My research is the first definitive indication that he misrepresented and altered children’s own words about comics," said Tilley. She has emphasized the role of comics in improving early literacy, stating that "comics are just as sophisticated as other forms of literature, and children benefit from reading them at least as much as they do from reading other types of books."
Wonder Women! explores the nation’s long-term love affair with comic book superheroes and raises questions about the possibilities and contradictions of heroines within the genre. Reflecting our culture’s deep-seated ambivalence toward powerful women—even in this so called post-feminist era—women may be portrayed as good, or brave, or even featured as "action babes," but rarely are they seen as heroes at the center of their own journey. The film goes behind the scenes with TV stars Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman) and Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman), comic writers and artists, and real-life superheroines such as Gloria Steinem, Kathleen Hanna, and others, who offer an enlightening and entertaining counterpoint to the male-dominated superhero genre.
The film will be presented at 6:00pm at the Champaign Public Library, followed by the panel discussion. It is part of WILL's Community Cinema, a monthly series of award-winning, independent documentaries from the Independent Television Services that are screened and discussed at the library. GMart, a comic book store in Champaign, and the U of I Women's Resources Center are partners for the event.
Wonder Women! airs on WILL-TV at 9:00pm Monday, April 15.